Chevy Nova Wagons - Morrow's Vision

Christian Morrow was overjoyed, but his girlfriend, Marlene, wasn't. It was 1996, and Morrow had just purchased a '66 Chevy Nova. He found it in the classified ads, paid $750 for it, and towed it home to his driveway.

Marlene wasn't opposed to cars or car crafting. Far from it, she had grown up with a father and mother who enjoyed classics. In fact, Marlene's father had bought her mother a '75 Corvette, and he worked on a modified van among other projects. But the Nova was different. It was a station wagon, a dilapidated grandma's car.

Christian couldn't explain it, but he had a vision for the wagon that began to develop early in his childhood when his parents bought a '63 four-door from his grandmother for $100.

The vision was refined by a '63 coupe that sat unmolested in a neighbor's driveway for years, but it came into full focus a few years later when Christian's best friend, Mason, bought a '63 wagon with a straight-six and drum brakes. The two of them went everywhere in that car during their high school days, building the memories that last a lifetime. Then, just after graduation, Mason bought another wagon. But this one rumbled with a small-block feeding Flowmasters, and another frame of reference clicked into place.

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In the meantime, Christian had also become enamored with his dad's '74 Blazer. He bought one of his own, and having no money to spend on luxuries while attending college, he and Mason took an auto-body class and experimented on the Blazer. Christian replaced most of the sheetmetal, painted the truck, and gained confidence in his ability to complete auto projects-skills he later used to earn extra money working on other people's cars. He became so comfortable with the processes that he promised help with the buildup of any classic car his younger brother Brett might buy. The Nova vision was renewed when their dad bought Brett a '67 coupe and Christian worked on it for several months.

That's when he bought the '66.

Christian worked on the wagon with seemingly maniacal intensity. He made it an auto-shop project and toiled on it every morning before work and even on some evenings. He fabricated and welded a custom dash and a custom gas-filler door, shaved the rear door handles, repaired the cargo floor, welded up all the holes from the trim he removed, added a cowl-induction hood, and hung and separately painted all the parts that could be detached. The problem was the wagon still didn't match the image in his mind.

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In 1998, Christian proposed to Marlene in front of the fountain at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. The young couple agreed the Nova project would have to be put on hold for a while-at least until they had accumulated enough money to buy their first home. But shortly after their honeymoon in August 1999, they decided to finish the wagon.

Christian again immersed himself in the project, spending most of his nights in the garage. He completed the buildup over the course of the next six months. In total, he did 90 percent of the work himself, including the engine buildup, the wiring, and the suspension work. The '66 had become a piece of automotive sculpture, a work of art, a fulfillment. But it wasn't the end of the vision.

One of Christian's favorite pastimes with the Nova is taking it to the Saturday Sunrise Car Cruisers-a 15-year-old weekend car cruise and show at a doughnut shop in Huntington Beach, California. The weekly Saturday-morning event takes place from about 6 a.m. to 8 a.m., which allows Christian and the other Donut Derelicts, as they're known, to engage in their passion for their cars and still return home in time for other pursuits with their families. One Saturday in May 2005 as Christian was lounging with friends in front of the '66, Nick Green struck up a conversation with him. Green's son had a '64 wagon he might want to sell. Was Christian interested?

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Another Nova wagon was hoisted on the hook and towed home. This time, though, Christian spent only three months on the car, concentrating on its potential as a frequently driven cruiser. He kept it stock, for the most part, so he would worry less about door dings and parking-lot rash and be more willing to drive it. Still, it fit the vision, being a wagon, being different, being a car to be proud of.

The Morrows now have two sons, Casen and Daylen, and they own a stable of cars, including the original Blazer, the two Nova wagons and Marlene's '72 Corvette (a gift from him to her, taking a cue from the father-in-law). In the side yard and backyard of their home, however, is evidence of the ongoing Nova fascination: a '63 SS convertible, a V-8 '65 wagon, and two parts cars-one a '65, the other a '66.

As for Marlene, the anger has been replaced by understanding and an appreciation of Nova wagons. "I'm going to be picking up another one in about a week and a half," Christian said, "to build for her."

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Gold oneWhat: '66 Chevrolet Nova station wagon

Owners: Christian and Marlene Morrow

Hometown: Mission Viejo, California

Short-block: The wagon is powered by a 406ci Chevrolet small-block that carries the original crank fastened by four-bolt splayed Milodon main caps. The crank has been polished 0.010, and the Eagle 5.7. I-beam connecting rods control SRP pistons on JE pins. The pistons are fitted with moly rings and are dished to reduce compression to a manageable 10:1.

Cooling: A Meziere electric water pump feeds the system, and a Perma-Cool electric fan pulls air through the fins of a Howe radiator that Morrow bought through Summit Racing.

Drivetrain: The TH350 auto trans was modified with a B&M shift kit and is mated to the 406 with a 3000-stall B&M torque converter. Power is then routed through the stock driveshaft to a Chrysler 831/44-inch differential, which Morrow's friends told him was sturdier than a GM 10-bolt and not as expensive as a 12-bolt. He found one in the Recycler that already had the Nova-spaced spring perches welded on, so it was a bolt-in piece. The 3.23 Posi-equipped gears turn 30-spline axles.

Suspension: Morrow likes the slammed look, but not when he's driving over speed bumps. Air Ride Technologies ShockWave airbags at each corner allow him to raise and lower the Nova's stock unibody frame at will. The system is controlled through a remote control to tailor the ride and works in conjunction with a 111/48-inch sway bar at the front and a custom-installed four-link setup at the rear. The four-link kit was Air Ride Technologies' standard configuration, but Morrow shortened the bars about 111/44 inches, made his own brackets, and spent about five days under the car welding everything up

Brakes: Baer discs provide the braking at all four corners. Each of the front 13-inchers is drilled and slotted with anodized hats, and it's the same arrangement with the 12-inch rears.

Wheels/Tires: The wheels are all 17x7 Budnik Tiller 5 forged billet-aluminum pieces. They're clad in Goodyear F1 215/45-17 rubber at the front and slightly larger 225/50-17 F1s at the rear.

Body: Morrow removed most of the trim from the body, fashioned a custom gas-filler door, and shaved the rear door handles. Then he swapped in a cowl-induction hood and painted the station wagon with Light Autumnwood two-stage PPG enamel. Custom-made bronze glass highlights the scheme.

Interior: Morrow retained the stock bench seat, but he enlisted the help of a couple of friends on the upholstery. Buddy June made the headliner and installed the light tan, tweed seat covers, and Rick Everding installed the tweed headliner as well as making and installing the tweed door panels, all of which complement the Corvette-tan carpet. The instrumentation is all white-face Auto Meter gauges in Morrow's custom dash and includes a speedometer and tachometer as well as fuel, water-temperature, and oil-pressure monitors. The steering wheel is a Budnik Tusk II, and the trans operations are controlled by a B&M Star Shifter.

Techs: Rich and Buddy helped shape up the interior; John Picolla provided a much-needed quarter-panel; Kevin Carr of Carrtech gave voice to the exhaust; and auto-body instructor Ron Dohy provided expertise and a place to work at school.

Silver oneWhat: '64 Chevy Nova station wagon

Owners: Christian and Marlene Morrow

Hometown: Mission Viejo, California

Engine: The stock 283ci small-block has been outfitted with a few look-good accessories, such as the flamed valve covers and air cleaner, but it's a stocker under the skin for the most part. Exceptions include the Edelbrock Performer intake manifold and the Holley double-pumper carburetor, which features a manual choke that's operated the old-fashioned way-by pulling a knob in the dash. Even the exhaust manifolds are stock, though the exhaust is routed through dual 211/44-inch tubing to aftermarket turbo mufflers. The Perma-Cool electric fan sits behind the new radiator from Classic Industries.

Drivetrain: Not many mods here, either. Morrow wanted this car to be a simple cruiser, so he retained the unadorned TH350 transmission running into a stock differential with 3.08 open gears.

Suspension: Morrow cut the stock front coils 1 inch for a slight drop, and he added 1-inch lowering blocks to the stock rear single-leaf setup. A single Monroe shock damps the spring action at each corner, and Morrow retained the stock 31/44-inch sway bar at the front.

Body: Morrow added a 2-inch, steel cowl-induction hood and replaced all the trim he didn't completely delete from the station wagon. He then block-sanded the sheetmetal and applied Honda Silver/Grey PPG paint for an understated look.

Interior: The original gauges remain in the paint-matched silver dash, and all the upholstery-from the door panels to the carpet and headliner-has been replaced with N.O.S. components. Morrow covered the factory seat in vinyl, and he swapped in a Budnik GT steering wheel.